There’s been a boom in home cafés in Singapore lately, with plenty of new home-based matcha and coffee spots popping up in various neighbourhoods every other week. Some home cafés in Singapore have even gained viral fame, like this Studio Ghibli-inspired café and even a Jellycat-themed macaron café. With so many home café springing up, have you ever thought of opening one yourself? If the answer is yes, here are 3 key steps you need to know before opening your doors:
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1. Food Safety & Hygiene Requirements
The number one question when it comes to home-based cafés is: do you need a license to operate? The answer is: currently, home-based businesses are not required to obtain an SFA license or permit to operate, but you should always check for the latest updates on the regulations here. With that said, all home-based businesses (HBBs)—that is, if you’re selling any kind of food and drink items from your place of residence—must comply with the regulations laid out by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
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These are some of the food safety rules to follow:
- Complete the WSQ FSC Level 1 for basic food safety and handling knowledge
- No serving of ready-to-eat raw seafood (eg. sashimi, oysters, raw marinated seafood)
- All ingredients must be legally sourced from licensed local manufacturers and suppliers
- Do not use food items/ingredients brought into Singapore from your own travels, as they are meant for personal consumption only
- Any imported ingredients must also be from a licensed importer
All food preparation should also be done according to the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) handbook
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Home café owners should also always note the necessary food safety tips as outlined by SFA here. Some of these tips include how to properly wash vegetables, storing of raw food, cross-contamination, reheating food and more.
2. Register Your Business with ACRA
As a general rule of thumb, all businesses—at-home ones included—must be registered on Bizfile, the digital service portal for Singapore’s Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). More specifically, any business that’s carrying out any activity for profit (eg. selling food and drinks in a home café setting), must register on ACRA here.
Image Credit: ACRA
Some steps involved in registering your business with ACRA include:
- Choosing a business structure
- Reserving a business name
- Providing a business address
For more resources from ACRA on how to start your own business in Singapore, and registration processes, see here.
3. On-site Operational Rules
Once you’ve gotten all the legal stuff out of the way, you’re almost ready to open for business; but there’s also a couple more things to note when you’re actually running the business. Namely: who can operate the café, equipment usage, dining restrictions and marketing.
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When running your home café and opening your residential home to the public, make sure to abide by these rules:
- Only home owners (occupants) are allowed to run the café; this means no hiring of external staff or engaging existing domestic helpers to assist with the café operations
- No commercial-level equipment or industrial heavy-duty machinery can be used; only domestic appliances for home use can be utilised to prepare food and drinks
- To operate primarily as a takeaway spot; as home cafés are not meant to operate like full-fledged physical F&B outlets
- High-risk foods (eg. raw meat and dairy-based products) and alcoholic drinks are not allowed to be served without special licensing
- All marketing is to be done via online social media platforms (Instagram, WhatsApp etc.); no physical signboards our outdoor advertisements are to be installed
Image Credit: Waterloo Coffee
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Think you’re ready to join the buzzing home café industry? If you follow all the above 3 steps, you’re well on your way to running your own home café. In short: yes, running a home café in Singapore is completely legal, provided you do follow the rules and regulations laid out by the authorities. Aside from all the legalities, make sure to also check in with your neighbours and to minimise any disturbance to them while running your home café.
